


Second Chances

by AnubisWrites



Series: Offerings to the Solar Demigod [2]
Category: Mahabharata - Vyasa, महाभारत | Mahabharat (TV 2013)
Genre: Brother Feels, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Reincarnation, Second Chances, because moksh is being with your family again, roll credits everyone, that's my trademark you should know that by now, wow there are a lot of brother tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25804204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnubisWrites/pseuds/AnubisWrites
Summary: "Rewinding time is not possible, but "do-over's are. Sometimes we get another chance to do something right the second time that we got wrong the first time."- UnknownCircumstances and environment shape a person, for the better or for worse.
Relationships: Arjun & Karna (Mahabharat)
Series: Offerings to the Solar Demigod [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873978
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16
Collections: Hindu Mythology Event





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> Are you gonna get Karna content from this girl till the end of time? Most probably.
> 
> Have my offering to the ultimate BROTP that Karna-Arjun could have been.

He turned and looked at the figure coming towards him. “Good to see you. Figured you’d drop by eventually.” The figure smiled and sat down beside him, as they looked towards the clouds adorning Swarg. After the fighting all their lives, the peace seemed a bit off at first. But both Karna and Arjun had learned to accept it.

Arjun broke the peace with, “I wish fate would’ve been different. The War destroyed so many lives.” Karna laughed with a tinge of sadness and remarked, “Lives were being destroyed years before the War was anywhere near in sight. We couldn’t have understood Vasudev’s plans.” Arjun nodded in agreement. That was what Madhav had said to him too, that he should just fulfil his duty, without thinking of the consequences.

Karna continued, “Fate could’ve been a bit kinder I suppose. To all of us.” Arjun knew what he was talking about but was too polite to say out loud. Maybe Swarg really had calmed his mind after all. Or perhaps the memories were just too painful to put in words.

He had lost a lot in the War too. They all had. The first thing he’d done after he was free of all celebrations at their arrival was to go and find Abhimanyu, hold him close to his heart, and wash away all the heartbreak of separation. 

An old anger flared up at the memory, at how brutally his son had been murdered, by his own family ; his own brother. He curled his fingers into a fist to stop lashing out, but Karna had already noticed. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at the ground, which glowed with a soft iridescence. "I am so sorry for all I've done. I was just so...so blinded by everything. No apology can make up for it, and I don't expect you to forgive me either."

Arjun opened his fists, and took a deep breath. They had to leave it all behind.

He placed one hand on Karna's shoulder, and squeezed it gently. Old wounds don't heal so fast, but there was an eternity ahead of them, and people deserved second chances. _Some people_ threw even that away, so at least he was trying. And he loved his brothers with all he had. One more couldn't be all that bad. 

"Maybe I would've done the same if I was in your position. I can't imagine being abandoned by Ma, being without Bheem bhaiyya, or Nakul and Sahdev." Karna looked straight ahead and refused to meet his eyes. He bitterly mumbled, "I would never wish for anyone to go through that." 

But now they were all together, Arjun thought. They had followed their Dharma, and had set the morals they needed to for future generations. Now they were free, of all responsibilities, duties, vows and unfortunate events of the past. They could build a new afterlife, together.

Time passed by as they asked little questions about the other's life. Arjun's dancing was appreciated, and so was his charm with women. Karna's altruism was praised, and a 'responsible elder brother' warned his younger brother to be careful of Vrushali. They planned to compete in archery again sometime, with lower stakes and a healthy dose of sportsmanship. Slowly, but surely, they were opening up to each other. They laughed at their similarities, and picked apart their differences. They were so different yet the same, two tributaries of the same river. 

Karna finally looked at him, and asked with an air of indifference, "Will I get to meet your... our brothers?" Arjun wanted to give him a _brotherly_ punch behind his ear, and a brotherly hug at the same time. He settled on smiling gently, "Yes, of course you will. I think they'd want to meet you too." Karna slightly gripped his knee at that, and Arjun could see the sheen over his eyes. "Actually, why don't we go right away? We don't have much to do here anyways. One of the boring details of Swarg no one bothers to mention."

Arjun took his hand and pulled him up with him before he had a chance to protest. As they left to meet the rest, Karna stood straight and looked so sure of himself. And if only Arjun knew how he tightly he gripped his hand, then so be it.

* * *

  
A pillow soared in the air and landed on Arjun, hitting him right in his face. “Mmphhh- Bhaiyya! What was that for?”, he asked, as he turned to his side. Karna just shoved his phone in his direction. Arjun took it, and saw a poster for the latest action movie, with two tickets ready to be bought at the bottom of the screen. His eyes widened. He threw off the pillow and sat up in his bed. “Oh HELL NO! We are NOT watching that!” 

“I don’t want to watch a rom-com, _yet again_.” Karna grumbled as he took his phone back. “What do you mean _yet again?_ That was ages ago!” Arjun retorted, his mind already flooding with all the rom-coms they could watch this weekend. It’s a childhood tradition. They always used to go watch a movie after their archery practice. But since they graduated the institute, there haven’t been much excuses to go. 

Fighting over what they would watch was also a childhood tradition. 

Karna stood up from his bed and went to check up on his equipment, just to have something to fiddle with. “Yeah, ages ago since we watched any movie. It’s my turn this time!” Arjun crossed his arms and gave him a stern look. “Turn? Since when do we have turns at this?”

Their bickering continued as Arjun followed Karna around their room, describing the countless merits of watching a rom-com, and Karna tried not to laugh. It would ruin the act. At last, Ma burst into the room and they both shut up. “Out. This second. Both of you. My head will explode at this rate.” She massaged her temples and turned. 

And right as the brothers looked at each other, raised their eyebrows, and opened their mouths to blame the other, her voice came sharply, “This. Second.”

A few minutes later, we find them headed to the theatres, Arjun still siding with rom-coms, when Karna put an arm around him and noogied him lightly. “Fine!” He laughed, and pulled out four tickets from his pocket with his free hand, “We’ll watch both.” And Arjun hugged him tightly with a loud “THANK YOU BHAIYYA!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing these two. Yell about your feelings in the comments because I love reading that. Until next time!
> 
> PS. I didn't mention "Ma" by name, because I love both Kunti and Radha Ma.


End file.
